Joint EAIA and NAFSA Symposium Commonalities and Differences in Systems Linda Tobash Institute of International Education Amsterdam March 22-23, 2007

Overview  Commonalities in Systems  U.S. System  Historical and philosophical underpinnings  Structure  Decentralized nature  Governance  Quality assurance approaches  Diversity in types of students and institutions  Emphasis on access and equity

Commonalities  Desire to enhance mobility of students  Desire to attract an international student body  Desire to work cooperatively  Joint and dual degrees  Tools and structures to promote transparency and mobility  Common degree structure  Credits

U.S. Higher Education System U.S. Higher Education System Key Philosophical Beliefs Belief in limited government and freedom of expression  Decentralized control and governance of higher education  Institutional autonomy Belief in capitalism and rationality of markets  High quality best achieved through competition rather than central planning Belief in equal opportunity and social mobility  Access to and support for higher education seen as a ‘public good’  Diversity in institution type and student populations to meet needs Belief in value of general education at the undergraduate level  Historical roots in the ‘liberal arts’ tradition  Current day focus on critical thinking skills that can be applied across disciplines and toward life-long learning Partially taken from Diversity, Access, & the Role of the Marketplace, ACE, 2004

Philosophical Underpinnings Began with 9 colonial colleges modeled after the ‘English College’  System is historically rooted in a liberal arts tradition Students studied abroad in Europe  Heavily influenced reforms in the U.S. in mid-1800’s Three ‘key’ ideas at beginning  Centrality of the arts and sciences  Academic freedom  professors teach what they feel qualified to teach  students can choose what they want to study  Unity of teaching and research  core of the PhD Taken from A History of American Higher Education, J. Thelin (2004) & remarks by Dan Fallon, Carnegie Foundation at Fulbright Educational Experts Seminar for German Rectors, Fall 2005

Current Undergraduate Structure Two part undergraduate curriculum  Academic major courses  discipline-based  General education courses  core curriculum all students take and/or  electives chosen from a pre-specified list of courses representing a range of topics

Role of general education Breadth of knowledge  informed citizens  critical thinking skills Skill set needed for labor force  interdisciplinary competencies  maneuver career transitions  lifelong learners

Governance Decentralized with limited government control  No federal or central government overseeing or coordinating the system  Individual institutions establish policy and management structures  Public institutions experience more regulation at the state level Partially taken from Higher Education in the U.S.: Diversity, Access and Role of the Marketplace, American Council on Education, 2004

Decentralized Control Decentralized Control in Policymaking and Management Governance  Policies  Regulations Finance  Budgets  Sources of funding  Tuition and fees Faculty  Hiring  Promotion Curriculum & degrees  Content  Degree conferral Student recruitment & marketing  Student admission

Decentralized Quality Assurance and Accreditation Accreditation is a process of external quality review  Non-governmental, independent, peer review  Voluntary process  Self-regulated  Goal is both quality assurance and quality improvement No federal governmental body that oversees the quality control of institutions or prepares an external ranking of institutions

Accreditation: Two Types Institutional Accreditation  Comprehensive review of all institutional functions; the institution as a whole, including all programs, is accredited  Regional Accrediting Bodies  Each regional accreditation body sets its own standards  National Accreditation  Accredits for profit, distance learning, single-purpose, private career, etc. Program and Professional Accreditation  Review and accredit specific programs or schools within a university  Architecture, Business, Engineering, Law, Medical, etc.

Philosophy of Universal Access  Higher education as a ‘public good’  Emphasis on fair and equitable access and treatment  High demand  academic year: over 14 million students  85% undergraduate level  15% graduate level  Application acceptance rates  60-68% at undergraduate baccalaureate level  46% at graduate level Taken from the College Board Annual Survey of Colleges & Open Doors 2006, CGS/GRE Surveys of Graduate Enrollment 2005, & U.S. Department of Education Digest of Education Statistics

Diversity in types of institution “Pluralism” in the types of institutions considered a strength of the system  Nearly 4,500 accredited degree- granting institutions  Research, comprehensive,liberal arts colleges, specialized institutions, community and junior colleges  60% private  40% public  76% of the students attend a public institution Taken from U.S. Department of Education Digest of Education Statistics and reports in the Chronicle of Higher Education

THANKS!

Appendix A: Credits and Semesters Defined Definition of semester What is full-time study?  15 semester hours of credit for undergraduates  9-12 semester hours of credit for graduates What is a semester?  15 weeks of attendance of classroom instruction -- beginning in August/September and ending in May/June  two semesters per year  other calendars exist Definition of a credit What is a credit hour (semester credit)?  theory course: 1 credit = 50 to 60 minutes of contact per week for one semester (15 weeks), plus an expected 2 hours of preparation time including library research, reading, homework, etc.  laboratory, practical or studio course: 1 credit = two to four 50 to 60 minutes of contact per week for one semester Adapted from materials prepared by Margit Schatzman, Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.